1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical and personal hygiene devices, and more particularly is an undergarment that with a specialized fabric treatment that protects the wearer against mild to moderate incontinence using a layer of polymer treated fabric.
2. Description of the Prior Art
This invention is directed to resolution of the problem of minor to moderate incontinence, i.e. the inability to completely control one""s bladder. There are over 10 million people in the United States alone who suffer from some level of incontinence. A problem of this magnitude has of course led to prior art solutions.
The current art solution most commonly used for the problem of minor to moderate incontinence is illustrated in FIG. 1. This product is an undergarment that uses a design with a pouch 1 that keeps a man""s penis centered on the moisture absorbing panel. This is of course not the ultimate in comfort for the user of the device. However, the possibly more significant drawback to the prior art design is the number of layers of fabric that are required. As shown in FIG. 2, next to the wearer""s skin 2, there is a first liner 3. On top of the liner is a wicking fabric layer 4, and then a transport insert layer 5 on top of that. On top of the transport layer 5, an absorbent layer 6 receives the moisture 7. Finally, to shield the wearer""s clothing from moisture 7 seeping through the absorbent layer 6, there is an outer shield 8. These five layers of fabric render the device quite bulky, and very different in appearance from normal underwear. The prior art devices have a distinctly xe2x80x9cdiaperishxe2x80x9d or incontinence controlling appearance.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an undergarment that uses a minimal number of layers of fabric.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an undergarment that is natural in appearance, that is, an undergarment that does not appear to be a device to protect against incontinence.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an undergarment that is comfortable for the wearer.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an undergarment that is fully machine washable.
The present invention is an undergarment that provides protection against mild to moderate incontinence. For female wearers, the absorbing panel not only provides incontinence protection, but can be used for absorbing discharges as a result of beginning and final stages of a women""s menstrual cycle.
The undergarment comprises an absorptive panel formed with a layer of hydrophilic fabric treated on one side with a permanent or semi-permanent hydrophilic polymer solution. Alternatively, a hydrophilic fabric combined with a specialized fabric treated with a hydrophobic polymer solution may be utilized to form the absorptive layer. The hydrophilic fabric most commonly used will be terry cloth. The absorptive panel formed with the hydrophilic fabric is then integrated into conventional undergarments.
An advantage of the present invention is that it significantly reduces the number of layers of fabric required to protect against incontinence.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the reduced number of layers of fabric reduces the heat retention of the undergarment, making the undergarment more comfortable for the wearer.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the appearance of the device does not differ significantly from normal underwear.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that the undergarment has a useful life equal to that of normal underwear.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention as described herein and as illustrated in the drawings.